Dale Cresap's blog

When people of differing faith traditions get together they like to argue about whose version of doctrine is correct. How often do you see anyone change their mind as the result of such a discussion? Perhaps a better approach is to compare practical, visible measures of the beneficial effects of adopting a particular faith. Are the people who convert to this faith more loving and kind, more generous and less violent than they were before? This is a stronger argument for the validity of a faith than one based on doctrinal correctness. Transformed lives are irrefutable evidence.

Everyone who seeks the truth hears my voice, and he who seeks will find. Do you know people who seem to be honestly seeking something, even if they don’t know what it is? Let your light shine before them to help them to see the truth. Someone else’s path may be different from yours, and this is OK. You don’t have to force them on a path that is not theirs. Based on the promises above you can be confident that their search will lead to me. Does this seem like a strong statement for a universal rule? But I have powerful forces at my disposal to guide honest seekers to me.

Are you familiar with narcissism? Even before this term was in common usage you knew people who were selfish, self-absorbed, and ‘all about them’. You know that this is a diminished expression of humanity, and such people are avoided for good reason. Is anyone entirely free from this? It seems to be a common human affliction to some degree, but you also know people who are at the other end of the spectrum and admire them and wish to emulate them for good reason. What qualities should you seek to overcome selfishness?

Have you heard of grateful alcoholics? Alcohol has devastated the lives of many, and recovery from the effects of this addiction is a long and painful process. So is there anything here to be grateful for? Those who describe themselves this way would say that this path, even with the pain and suffering it involves, has brought them to a greater expression of humanity and spirituality than they would have had without it. And so they are grateful in spite of the pain and suffering. How do you view the difficult aspects of your own life? Do you resent them?

Have you heard that the safest place in the world is in my will? If you are to accept this proposition, you may have to rethink your definition of safety. Consider how many people have paid the ultimate price and lost their lives because they were obedient to me. You remember them and honor them as martyrs. How strong is your desire to live a life of destiny, full of meaning and purpose? Is this greater than your fear of death? For there are values even higher than safety, and you will die whether you lead a meaningful life or not.

Do you know believers who can see the devil in everything? The can see evil influence in politics and popular culture, in art and fashion and science and education. Could they be right? You do have an adversary who walks about seeking whom he may devour. Can you see me in everything? There is a doctrinal and theological basis for believing that every time you open your eyes you see something I made, and my presence is in every person. Do you recall the servant whose eyes were opened to see that those who were for us were more than those who were against us? This is still true.

Are you familiar with the idea of advance publicity? Big events are typically preceded by a marketing campaign to generate interest. I had one of my own. Do you recall the mission of John the Baptist? He came before me to prepare the way for me. I could hardly have picked a more unlikely character. John was the consummate outsider, in location, in manner of dress, and in diet. Yet I said that there was none greater born among women, and that was a strong statement coming from me. Do you think this was a one-time task? It was not.

Does quality matter to you? Do you expect to have to pay more for goods of higher quality? Have you noticed that some books are full of transcendent truth, and others are much less so? Yet they all cost about the same. So if value is quality relative to cost, you can choose higher value without having to pay a higher cost. The best of all that has been recorded in human history is available to you for a modest amount. The same argument applies to music and many other areas of life.

Do you find it easy to judge people by their appearance? Are you quick to form judgments about people you encounter that you have never met before? But what can you know on the basis of a first glance? The only things you can really know are those things that are inherent in every person. They are made in my image. They have an inner longing to find their identity, to find authenticity and self-transcendence. They want to belong, and to have a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives.

Do you hire skilled workers to do things for you that you don’t have the skills to do yourself? This could include anything from mechanics to construction workers to medical practitioners. Do you support your pastor? Do you see this the same way, hiring an expert to do something for you that you aren’t able to do for yourself? They watch for your souls, but this is not an appropriate metaphor. You should pay your pastor, but not to hire him to be spiritual in your stead. No one else can live your spiritual life for you, including your pastor. That is your privilege alone to fulfill.